NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's a good thing Chrisette Michele did n't choke last week when she heard the news she had a No. 1 album on her hands .

Chrisette Michele 's album `` Epiphany '' debuted at No. 1 earlier in May .

`` I was backstage at the David Letterman show on a couch , probably eating grapes , '' says the singer-songwriter . `` I always eat grapes before I go on . ''

The acid and pectin in the fruit help prepare her voice for performing , the 26-year-old goes on to explain . But nothing , she says , could have prepared her for the excitement she 'd feel upon learning her sophomore album , `` Epiphany , '' debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart . She had to go chill out at a lakeside ranch for a couple of days to let it all sink in .

But this is n't Michele 's first big career moment : She won a Grammy this year in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category for her single , `` Be OK , '' featuring will.i.am . The song first appeared on her soul-tinged 2007 debut album `` I Am , '' for which she penned all her own lyrics .

This time around , Michele , whose voice has earned her comparisons to Billie Holiday and Jill Scott , relinquished some songwriting duties to R&B singer Ne-Yo .

Michele talked to CNN about the experience of sharing pen and paper , the real-life epiphany behind `` Epiphany '' and why she likes making mischief . Watch Michele belt out a tune ''

CNN : Have you had a big epiphany recently ?

Michele : I have epiphanies all the time , because I 'm always thinking . I 'm a thinker . I 'm always writing poetry , I 'm always coming to conclusions .

The latest epiphany is that I really do n't have to be afraid of anybody . And the reason why it was an epiphany was when I first started , I was so afraid that maybe they wo n't like me . And I was just being myself , I was being really honest . And so I felt that if they did n't like me that would really hurt .

But I found out that there 's a lot more lovers out there than I realized , and the world is much smaller than I thought . And so there 's no need to be afraid .

CNN : Tell me about the single .

Michele : `` Epiphany '' is about a girl who 's sitting on her couch and saying `` You know what ? I 'm sick and tired of waiting for these phone calls . I 'm sick and tired of waiting for him to come home . '' I think I 'm just about over being his girlfriend . And that 's her epiphany . That 's her a-ha moment .

CNN : How does this album demonstrate how you 've progressed as an artist ?

Michele : One way is that I did n't write some of the songs . Pride destroyed ! Ego smashed ! Pens , pencils thrown across the room ! It was so tough at first .

But then I started working with Ne-Yo . Ne-Yo is the easiest person to talk to , and he made my experiences come to life with his lyrics . I was afraid that if somebody took the pen and the pad that it would suddenly turn into somebody else . But he did a wonderful job of capturing Chrisette Michele and it was a beautiful experience .

CNN : Who 's your favorite jazz performer in the world ?

Michele : Ella Fitzgerald . But I ca n't narrow it down to just one . I get excited when we talk about jazz .

CNN : Which living jazz musician would you like to work with ?

Michele : Diana Krall . A female piano player is always pretty cool to me . I went to school , did jazz and there were n't a lot of ladies who sat down and did those jazz things at the keys that she does .

CNN : Why do n't you think young people appreciate jazz as much ?

Michele : I 'm an advocate of music in schools . It 's important to me that music is in as many schools as possible across this country and across the world . I think that it 's a lost art form because kids are n't as exposed to it as maybe they used to be , or should be . I was exposed heavily to jazz and that 's why I love it .

CNN : I hear you 're a bit of a prankster .

Michele : When I was in school I used to prank my teachers all the time . But I was really , really nice . I love to make people laugh . And even in those pranks , the teachers would laugh most of the time .

CNN : What 's your favorite album of 2009 so far ?

Michele : Mine -LRB- smiles mischievously -RRB- .

CNN : Besides yours .

Michele : What is in my iPod right now on repeat is John Legend 's `` Evolver . '' I ca n't get enough of that record . I also love Adele 's new album . It 's incredible , especially the live side . Those are two that are on my radar .

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Chrisette Michele 's album `` Epiphany '' debuted at No. 1 earlier in May

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Michele has earned comparisons to Billie Holiday ; she admires Ella Fitzgerald

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Singer reluctant to give up songwriting duties , but enjoyed working with Ne-Yo